Victoria Hamilton (Photo by Christopher Soldt)

Victoria Hamilton, MSW ā€™19 (Photo by Christopher Soldt)

Headstrong, determined, and sassy are adjectives Victoria Hamilton, MSW ā€™19, uses to describe herself. Sitting across from Hamilton in a conference room in McGuinn Hall, a space too small to contain her infectious laugh, itā€™s soon clear the adjective that best describes her is driven.

ā€œIā€™ve always known that I wanted to work with children and to be a counselor or a mentor,ā€ says Hamilton. Currently in her second year at the Boston College School of Social Work (51²č¹ŻSSW), Hamilton is a full-time macro student with a focus on Children, Youth & Families. She says 51²č¹ŻSSW is equipping her with the knowledge, support, and tools to make good on her goal of becoming a disabilities advocate.

Hamiltonā€™s path to 51²č¹ŻSSW was circuitous. After graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with a bachelorā€™s degree in psychology, she worked as a nanny and preschool teacher, interned in the disability services office of her alma mater, volunteered at area childrenā€™s hospitals, and took graduate classes at The Citadel. ā€œI loved what I was doing in Charleston,ā€ says Hamilton, ā€œbut I wanted to be in graduate school.ā€ She pursued child life specialist programs for several years before setting her sights on schools of social work. It was while waiting for word on her admission status that she had an epiphany. She was preparing and realized her true passion was advocacy work on behalf of those with disabilities.

Victoria Hamilton presenting at a TEDx Youth Event.

Victoria Hamilton presenting at a TEDx Youth Event.

Hamilton knows what itā€™s like to live with a disability. Growing up with cerebral palsy, she spent years overcoming the perceptions of classmates and teachers who doubted her potential. Like the high school guidance counselor who urged her to forgo her dream of attending the College of Charleston for a community college close to home. And she knows the benefits of having an advocate. ā€œI didnā€™t need a push when I was younger,ā€ she says with a warm laugh, ā€œI needed a path cleared and thatā€™s what my mom did. My mom is my biggest advocate.ā€

At 51²č¹ŻSSW, Hamilton is busy putting her advocacy skills to work. She is doing her second-year field placement at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ā assisting with the coordination of the Workforce Development Officeā€™s . Designed for Bostonā€™s underrepresented and underserved youth, this yearlong program introduces high school students to careers in health care and biomedical sciences through paid internships.

At Hamiltonā€™s suggestion and under her guidance, the Workforce Development Office will soon pilot the Disabilities Inclusion Program (D.I.P.), expanding the Student Training Program to include the recruitment of students with disabilities.

ā€œIt was Victoria who came to us with so much enthusiasm and insight, asking the question: What are we doing to serve students with disabilities?ā€ says Candace Burns, one of her two Dana-Farber supervisors. ā€œThe principals of the schools we work with were thrilled,ā€ Burns says. ā€œThere arenā€™t a lot of initiatives that are designed to reach out to high school students with disabilities for internship opportunities.ā€

Working on the D.I.P. initiative has offered Hamilton a chance to do what she does best: identify opportunities for greater inclusion. ā€œThese students with disabilities will also be college bound,ā€ she says. ā€œIā€™m not changing the model, because itā€™s a fabulous model. But I want to recruit people with disabilities that can do the same work.ā€

Hamilton is clearly coming into her own in the role of advocate. ā€œIn addition to the D.I.P., Victoriaā€™s providing college-readiness programming,ā€ says Rachada Hiranyaket, her other Dana-Farber supervisor. ā€œIā€™ve watched her develop trusted relationships with students, and she holds them accountable, which is great.ā€

Hiranyaket and Burns say they have loved having Hamilton on their small team over the past several months. ā€œItā€™s nice to work with an intern who just gets it,ā€ says Burns.

Itā€™s no surprise to Professor for Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing that Hamilton has hit the ground running. Dearing first met Hamilton last year in her Basic Skills in Macro Social Work course, and has become a trusted mentor. ā€œVictoria has channeled her own experiences and her desire to be of service into her studies here at 51²č¹Ż Social Work,ā€ says Dearing. ā€œShe has tremendous clarity about the change she wants to seeā€”and beā€”in the world. Iā€™ve been so impressed with how well sheā€™s focused on building and practicing her skills to do just that while in our program. I believe however she decides to pursue that social change, sheā€™ll succeed.ā€

Hamiltonā€™s not certain of her plans following graduation, but odds are high sheā€™ll return to Charleston, the city she considers home. She says her 51²č¹ŻSSW education has empowered her and sheā€™s excited by the road ahead. ā€œIn my classes here, Iā€™ve really discovered that I have this voice,ā€ she says, ā€œand 51²č¹Ż has given me the tools to use it.ā€